A European law that states airlines must pay passengers for long delays has today been upheld by the European Court of Justice. The verdict comes after TUI Travel, British Airways and Easyjet mounted a two-year battle to overthrow the law.

The ruling confirmed that passengers are entitled to up to €600 (£480) compensation if they arrived by three or more hours late to their destination. The only exceptions to this is if the reason was out of the airline’s control such as weather problems or wild-cat strikes.

Flight-delayed.co.uk, a website that assists passengers making claims, estimates that €90m worth of claims are outstanding after being put on hold for the duration of the legal battle. The airlines had applied to the court for the claims to be limited to only those after the ruling, but this was refuted.

Despite the ruling in favour of passengers, Flight-delayed.co.uk remains skeptical over the ease and speed with which passengers will receive their compensation: “European judges decide over and over again in favour of air passengers. Nonetheless, receiving compensation remains a hassle,” it said. “This probably will not change even after the verdict.”

Are you a passenger waiting for compensation? Do you feel confident that the ruling will make you receiving your compensation any easier? Please post your comments below.

[…] at Manchester Airport in September. A new compensation ruling was implemented in October for flights over three hours late. Hurricane Sandy battered the East coast of the USA at the end of October, which caused many flight […]